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Icons and illustrations

Learn the lore about Rowan's iconography and how each one identifies people, places, things and ideas in the brown-and-gold stories we share.

By Rowan University

May 9^th, 2025

Everyone knows the symbolism of caps and gowns in academic ceremonies, but what about the other images you see in Commencement pageantry? Maybe you've worn one on your favorite t-shirt since your first year or just wondered what the art on the gonfalon banners mean—either way, here's a primer on Rowan University's classic icons and illustrations.

1. Henry M. Rowan

Henry Rowan: entrepreneur, businessman and transformative benefactor of Rowan University. Mr. Rowan is the man behind the $100 million gift in 1992 that helped transform Glassboro State College into the nationally recognized Rowan University. His generous gift paved the way for broader initiatives and spurred other individuals, foundations and companies to donate to the institution. Decades later, Mr. Rowan’s life and legacy continue to inspire ambitious, dedicated people to make a difference in the world through their personal, academic and professional endeavors.

2. Brown-eyed Susan

Tradition holds that Rowan’s brown and gold colors come from the brown-eyed Susans that grew in the orchards near campus in the University’s early years. Derived from nature, the brown and gold complement each other well and symbolize the contrasts that are part of the character of the University: brown for tradition and stability; gold for vibrance and intensity.

3. Vintage Prof Mascot

Though the origins of this particular version of the Prof mascot are unknown, it is but one in a long line of revisions that stretch back to the 1950s, when Rowan cheerleaders created handmade owl stuffed animals to sell at a fundraiser. In 1959, Don Pasquale sketched the first official rendition of the Prof and just one year later, Claude DiGenova was the first person to don the Prof costume. It had been noted that, originally, the Prof was not a popular mascot. It was not menacing or daring as other team’s mascots were, but the students decided it was better to be unique and held onto the Prof. (And we’re glad they did!)

4. Rowan Athletics Prof

The biggest question from people, linked academically to Rowan or not, would have to be “What is a Prof?” Being that Rowan University was originally the Glassboro Normal School and then the New Jersey State Teachers College at Glassboro, the University has always been known for its roots tied to creating educators. In 1957, when the Glassboro campus decided it was time to create a mascot, a wise, old owl was the perfect image to portray Rowan’s emphasis on education. In 2006, Athletic Director Joy Solomen called for a redesign of the Prof. The updated Prof is fiercer with swooping wings, is ready to attack, and has prominent talons to alert competitors that the game ahead will not be an easy one.

5. Addorsed Owl

Appearing on each college and school gonfalon, the owl calls back to the heritage of the University as a “teachers college.” According to heraldic code, its posture—shown in profile with inverted, addorsed wings and with both feet on the ground—calls to mind a collegial relationship, positive demeanor, readiness and intent to rise with purpose.

6. Flame of the Torch of Knowledge

This stylized rendering of a flame, a classic symbol of enlightenment, is drawn from the University’s official seal and the Torch of Knowledge used in ceremonies since the institution’s early years. June 1931 marked the first “Lantern Night,” an activity that represented the institution’s hope and persistence in the grip of the Great Depression. There, the president of the senior class passed the Torch of Knowledge to the leader of the junior class. In 1958, the Student Council added to Lantern Night a relay running the torch from the state Capitol at Trenton to the steps of College Hall. The tradition continued for years, including the most recent Centennial celebration run, a modified 26.6 mile journey between Rowan's campuses.

7. Oak Leaf

Rowan University and oak trees go way back. Back in 1924, the school’s first yearbook was dubbed The Oak. In 1930, Oak Hall opened as Rowan’s second dormitory. The stylized rendering of the Northern red oak leaf which appears in the University’s logo (see the flame in the torch?) is also a nod to New Jersey’s state tree. Today, there are 10 species of oak trees on Rowan’s campus. This specific oak leaf icon, however, is the logo for Rowan University’s Alumni Association.

8. Rowan's Latin Motto

Appearing on the University Seal, Rowan's oldest and most ornate symbol, is the motto “Eruditio spes mundi,” which is Latin for “Education, hope of the world.” It is seen on the seal alongside other symbols intrinsic to the University: the Torch of Knowledge, an open book, a globe and oak leaves.

9. GSC 50th Anniversary Logo

This symbol was created by Professor Burt Wasserman in the 1970s to represent Glassboro State College as a progressive, active institution during its 50th anniversary celebration. Wasserman taught in the art department from 1960 through 2004 and was known for his art based on simple, geometric shapes. He passed away in 2017, but his artistic spirit lives on in the hundreds of students who favored his classes over the years and became artists and art educators.

10. Hot Pepper

Inspired by a 2016 student-run holiday auction that demonstrated huge demand for his homemade hot sauce, President Houshmand turned his gardening hobby into a fundraiser for students. In 2017, the University began producing and selling Houshmand’s Hazardous Hot Sauce, with all proceeds benefiting the Rowan University Student Emergency Scholarship Fund. At the West Campus Farm, the president, students and volunteers plant and harvest multiple kinds of peppers, among other vegetables. The farm produces and donates nearly 20,000 pounds of vegetables, fruits and herbs annually. The project has directly and indirectly inspired significant donations to the University, with online customers ordering hot sauce from as far away as Japan and Australia.

11. Ginkgo Leaf

By measure of stem diameter, the single largest tree on campus is the Ginkgo biloba that stands on the University Green. Considered a living fossil, this species has existed largely unchanged for 200-250 million years. The tree likely was planted by John B. Sangree, a charter faculty member of the school (for whom our campus greenhouse is named). In the institution’s early years, graduates often would take a leaf from the ginkgo tree and press it into their yearbooks, providing them with tangible, lasting memories of campus.

12. Bunce Capitals

Representing the first academic building that still presides over the University Green, this icon depicts a classic design element drawn from the Bunce Hall column capitals. Visible above the door when standing beneath the portico, this architectural flourish conveys a certain “stateliness” that distinguishes this building from others on the Glassboro campus. Known as College Hall when it opened in 1923, it took on the name of the institution’s second president, Edgar F. Bunce, after extensive renovations in 1963.

13. Camden Building

Rowan has served the City of Camden with education since 1969, but stepped up its commitment to the city in 2016 by renovating the historic First Camden National Bank & Trust building and annex on Cooper Street. This enabled the school to double enrollment in Camden, serving pre-college undergraduate and graduate programs. A $17.6 million grant from the New Jersey Higher Education Capital Improvement Fund paid for that project's completion.

14. Mosasaur Skeleton

The mosasaur this panel depicts was not a dinosaur, but, rather, a marine reptile. (There is a difference!) These creatures roamed the oceans during the late Cretaceous period alongside their land-dwelling counterparts 66 million years ago. A remarkable 6-foot mosasaur skull was discovered in the lake next to the Edelman Fossil Park & Museum, which inspired the incredible 55-foot, life-sized replica of this prehistoric predator on display there today. In fact, this was also the inspiration for the museum’s address: 66 Million Mosasaur Way.

15. Winged Helmet

The art depicted on the William G. Rohrer College of Business gonfalon comes from Greek and Roman mythology: the helmet of Hermes (or Mercury) belonged to the god of trade, profit and commerce. In mythological tradition, Hermes (and Mercury) represented commerce in general, invention, travel and boundaries, and weights and measures–all appropriate for discussion of the international scope of business in its various specialties as studied at Rowan University.

16. CCCA Trumpets & Pennants

The trumpets depicted on the College of Communication & Creative Arts gonfalon symbolize medieval methods of communication and identification. Before cellphones were invented, trumpet blasts were a means by which encampments and kingdoms exchanged messages across long distances. Together with pennants, used in pageantry and on a variety of structures, these symbols express crucial aspects of our humanity, communication and creativity as we consider the foundations of three varied communication channels: aural, verbal and visual.

17. Henry M. Rowan College of Engineering Sun

A prominent symbol on the college’s gonfalon, the sun represents energy as well as the continual enlightenment and opportunity that come as a result of exploration, problem-solving and discovery through application of engineering disciplines. The College of Engineering is the legacy of Henry M. Rowan, the benefactor of the University who made engineering education possible at the institution.

18. College of Education Lamp

A traditional symbol of enlightenment, this lamp is shown with a classic form that has persisted with little change into the 19th century. Its practical uses for shedding light or preserving a flame to ignite others make it appropriate as a symbol of education’s best purposes. The use of three lamps on the College of Education gonfalon suggests the three levels studied at Rowan: elementary, secondary and higher education. The repetition of the art also signifies the connections between each course of study and how they build on each other.

19. College of Humanities & Social Sciences Compass

The compass has been used as a navigational tool since the 11th century. In choosing the compass as its icon, the College of Humanities & Social Sciences established that its disciplines provide students with the knowledge, attitudes, ethics and global outlook necessary for navigating successfully through life and exploring the paths presented by dynamic career and life circumstances. Building a solid foundation within the liberal arts allows students to seek individualized answers to an essential question, “Where am I going?”

20. College of Performing Arts World Triad and Lotus

This panel depicts a composite illustration created for the College of Performing Arts gonfalon. At the center is the Celtic “World Triad,” a symbol suggesting creative replenishment and new life. The next layer is the lotus flower, a symbol of creation in Greek and Eastern cultures. Joined together, these convey the best intent of performing artists to express a vision or give voice to a thought. The art also employs the Fibonacci sequence, which is often thought to produce a balanced and pleasing effect. Seen specifically in the three-five-eight sequence of symbols and petals, the Fibonacci sequence occurs frequently in both math and nature; look no further than the structure of an artichoke or some species of pine cone to see this “golden ratio” at play!

21. College of Science & Mathematics Atom

The disciplines in the College of Science & Mathematics stem from the Age of Enlightenment, the era in which modern science, universal education and the questioning of traditional forms of authority emerged. The atom depicted on the gonfalon is carbon, considered the elemental building block of all known life on Earth. The ribbon appearing beneath is a Möbius strip, a mathematical object that has only one side, which has challenged our understanding of space and inspired discoveries in geometry, physics and engineering.

22. School of Earth & Environment Globe

The School of Earth & Environment chose this illustration of the globe to show key regions in paleontology, including the eastern United States, where Hadrosaurus foulkii, the world's first nearly complete dinosaur skeleton was found in Haddonfield N.J., and Dreadnoughtus schrani, among the largest creatures ever to walk the earth, found in Argentina by Rowan alumnus and world-renowned paleontologist Kenneth Lacovara.

23. School of Innovation & Entrepreneurship Wheel

The wheel of perpetual motion icon portrays the concept first documented in seventh century India by Bhaskara and later explored by da Vinci and others. Rowan’s approach to entrepreneurship education reinforces the idea that entrepreneurship is an act of creation that defies disciplinary boundaries and follows the (r)evolution of the wheel: pursuit of an ideal, learning from failure and iterating to a viable solution. Those with passion and perseverance find and beget success, perpetuating opportunity and progress for themselves and others.

24. Cooper Medical School of Rowan University's Chiron

Drawing on Greek mythology, the Cooper Medical School gonfalon depicts Chiron, the esteemed centaur known for his great intellect and skill in medicine. Unlike other centaurs, who were violent and savage, he was famous for his wisdom—having served as a teacher to many Greek gods and heroes, including Heracles, Achilles, Jason and Asclepius, the god of medicine mentioned in the ancient Hippocratic oath sworn by physicians. A symbol of enlightenment and life, his fiery torch suggests Chiron’s self-sacrifice to allow mankind the use of fire. The illustration alludes to the science and art of medical education: a legacy of great skill, tender care and professional expertise conveyed from teacher to student to benefit humanity.

25. Shreiber School of Veterinary Medicine

The Shreiber School of Veterinary Medicine icon displays a Rod of Asclepius, the imagery most well-known as a symbol of health care, but adds a V to distinguish veterinary medicine. With its commitment to the concept of “one medicine” supporting “one health,” the school embraces the practice of a comprehensive approach to life that considers and honors all creatures and the planet we share.

26. Virtua Health College of Medicine & Life Sciences Lotus

The partnership between Rowan University and Virtua Health established a framework for the two institutions to share and expand on their commitment to improve the health of New Jersey residents through the state’s future generations of health educators, clinicians and researchers. The stylized lotus flower in the college crest represents the Virtua Health community and, by extension, Rowan University medical and health professions education. The symbolic lotus—from deep roots to graceful, layered petals—is known for adaptability, regeneration and usefulness for health and healing.

27. Rowan-Virtua Rita & Larry Salva School of Nursing & Health Professions Gonfalon

Inspired by da Vinci’s iconic Vitruvian Man, the figure at the center of the gonfalon represents the school’s focus on the study of and benefit to human health, both the collective whole and individuals, encompassing and engaging both mind and body. The yin-yang symbol underlies the human figure to emphasize the school’s foundation in balanced, holistic health.

28. Rowan-Virtua DNA Double Helix

The DNA double helix appears on two schools’ gonfalons: Rowan-Virtua School of Osteopathic Medicine and Rowan-Virtua School of Translational Biomedical Engineering & Sciences. The illustration provides a visual axis for academic disciplines and research activity, linking other pictographic elements as it represents one of the fundamental building blocks of life as examined by students, researchers and physicians. The DNA strands symbolically assert humans’ immense potential to enhance life by exploring, expanding and employing knowledge.